Iberia loses ash disruption claim

By Victoria
May 4, 2012 16:12

The City of London county court has awarded a family who experienced severe disruption to their journey home caused by the closure of the EU airspace due to volcanic ash in April 2010, the right to about £25,000 in damages from the Spanish airline Iberia.
Philip Marshall and his family has returned to Madrid after a trip to the Galapagos Islands but was told to make alternative arrangements to get home to Britain via Bordeaux, Paris and Brussels, using rail and road transport, which took four days.
Lord Justice Aikens said that although he did not know whether the sums would be significant to the family, it would be “absolutely insignificant” to the airline. The presiding judge, Judge William Birtles, ruled that the airline was in breach of its contract and air industry regulations, in failing to reroute the family as soon as possible.
Iberia tried to overturn the ruling at the Court of Appeal but this was rejected.